Trick or Treat Slytherin Style
by Snapegirlkmf
Summary: Ever wonder what happend to Draco & Hermione on Halloween? Hermione persuades Draco to take her trick-or-treating in a Muggle neighborhood. See what fun and catastrophes ensue! Companion piece to Return to Prince Manor! HG/DM
1. Hermione's Plan

**Trick or Treat—Slytherin Style**

**A Prince Manor Halloween Tale **

**4/19/11 I have altered Hermione's place of residence after a discussion with Nice Huntress, who comes from Britain and pointed out to me that it made more sense for Hermione to come from Cambridgeshire rather than northern England. I bow to her greater knowledge of British culture and thank her for her helpful suggestion.**

**Chapter 1: Hermione's Plan**

Draco looked up from his plate of fried chicken and noticed immediately that his brother was gone from the hall. He frowned, wondering where Harry could have gotten to. Then he recalled that Halloween was the anniversary of Lily's death, and assumed Harry might have gone for a walk or something to get away from all the loud music and kids screaming and giggling like insane hyenas. He turned back to his fried chicken, wondering if Hermione would like to dance later on? If the band played any decent music, that is.

Finishing his dinner, he carefully wiped his face and hands with a linen napkin, he didn't want to get grease on Hermione's lips or her dress when he held her and kissed her before or after the dance. He rose to his feet, ignoring the mutters and stares of disapproval from some of the older Slytherins, who didn't approve of snakes dating lions. Frankly, Draco could give a damn. As far as he was concerned, he could date a hippopotamus if he chose and the other snakes would have to put up or shut up.

He made his way to the Gryffindor table, where Hermione was looking over some Arithmancy notes while munching upon a carrot stick. Draco did a doubletake. _Carrot sticks? Who ate carrot sticks on Halloween?_

Hermione looked up when he cleared his throat. "Draco! Sorry, I was trying to solve this equation, I didn't see you there."

"Yeah, I noticed. Mione, why are you eating carrot sticks? It's Halloween."

She blushed and looked down at the vegetable in her hand. "Uh, force of habit. My parents are dentists, remember? They never let me have anything really sweet on Halloween. Too much sugar rots your teeth."

"Oh. Right." He lowered his voice then whispered mischievously, "Then why haven't Dumbledore's teeth fallen out by now? He eats more sweets than anyone I know."

Hermione giggled. "Maybe he conjures them back when it happens?" she suggested.

Draco laughed. "I could see him doing that, the old coot." He held out his hand. "Why don't you come and dance with me instead of studying? Give yourself a break, bookworm."

Hermione pretended to consider his offer, then she shut her book and banished it back to her room. "All right, Mr. Malfoy. Let's see how well you can trip the light fantastic."

"Say what?"

"It's a Muggle expression. It means let's see how well you can dance." Hermione explained, taking his hand.

"Very well. I've been taking dance lessons since I was about five, I think. My mother made me."

"Me too. I had ballet and jazz, my mum thought it was good exercise for me," Hermione sighed. "But at least I won't trip over my own feet."

They began to dance to the music, which was a screaming horror of a wizard version of heavy metal—it had barely any rhythm or melody, but Draco and Hermione did their best to dance to it.

Draco grimaced. "This music is bloody awful." He had to practically yell to be heard.

Hermione nodded, but could barely hear him. They moved about the floor, staying as far away as possible from the band. The other students were trying to dance also, but most of them looked like drunken sailors on shore leave.

Draco twirled Hermione about in a half circle. He was so intent upon her that he didn't notice his father come up behind him.

Severus tapped Draco on the shoulder. "Draco, where's your brother?"

Draco looked up. "Uh, I don't know. Last I saw he was headed somewhere with Katie. Why?"

"I need to speak with him." Severus replied. "I will see you later. Try not to gorge yourself sick on sweets and don't stay up too late."

"Yes, sir," Draco rolled his eyes at the typical parental litany. Then he turned back to dancing with Hermione, who was smiling in amusement.

"What's so funny, Mione?"

"He sounds so much like my dad."

"Oh." Draco shook his head. "Guess it comes with the territory."

Hermione was getting a headache from the pounding music and suddenly she came up with a brilliant inspiration. It was totally mad, of course, and she knew Draco would say she was out of her head and probably refuse to do it, but she couldn't resist telling him about it.

"Let's go outside in the garden!" she yelled in his ear. "We can hear better there."

"All right. Why?"

"I have something to tell you."

She led him out into the rose garden, which was somewhat shielded from the thundering screeching and pounding that passed as music. Draco leaned against a pillar, his legs crossed, looking expectantly at his girlfriend.

"I just had an idea. Now, hear me out before you tell me I'm crazy, okay?"

"Sure."

She gazed at him appreciatively before saying, all in a rush, "That music in there is giving me a tension headache and I was thinking of all the fun I used to have when I was a kid trick-or-treating on Halloween. My friends and I used to go all over our neighborhood and get sweets and stuff and dress up in costumes and scare each other silly. It was great! And so I was thinking . . .what if we went and did that?"

"Where?"

"In my old neighborhood, of course. I live in Cambridgeshire, near Oxford University. We'd need to Floo partially, but once we got to Diagon Alley we could ride our brooms the rest of the way. We could wear costumes and everything. It could be your chance to meet my parents incognito, and experience Muggle culture. Plus, it's loads of fun."

"You can't be serious! Me, dress like a Muggle?"

"Don't be such a snob, Draco!" she scolded, smacking him lightly on the head. "We'll be in costume, and it won't kill you to act like a normal person once in awhile, instead of a spoiled aristocrat."

He gave her a sheepish grin. "Was I really acting like that? Sorry. I don't mean to. It's just sometimes . . .I forget I'm not the heir of Malfoy Manor anymore. Well, I mean I am literally, but . . ." he trailed off awkwardly.

"I know what you mean. You can't help how you were raised, Draco."

"No, but I can help my attitude, as Dad would say." Draco sighed. "All right. I'll do it. But you had better not make me wear anything ridiculous, Granger."

Hermione jumped into his arms and kissed him. "I love you, Draco!"

He grinned and kissed her back. "Now _that's_ what I like to hear. Say it again, won't you?"

She did, and he basked in the sound of her voice and the feel of her lips against his. "Now, let's see. What kind of costume would suit you?"

He frowned worriedly. "Uh, why can't we just wear our school uniforms? No Muggle would know what they were."

"Draco, that's cheating. You're supposed to dress up as something you normally wouldn't be on Halloween. It can be something funny or scary or cute."

"Like what?"

"Hush, I'm thinking." Her brow furrowed and after five minutes she cried, "I've got it! We'll go as a princess and a dragon. You can be the dragon, it fits cause your name means that, and I'll be the princess. That fits too because in Greek legends, Hermione was a Spartan princess, the daughter of King Menelaus of Sparta and Helen of Troy. It's perfect!"

Draco looked less than thrilled. "If you say so. But I have one thing, if I'm going to be a dragon, I'm making it a Slytherin dragon—green and silver colored, with small wings, more like a large serpent than a dragon."

"Fine. That sounds pretty neat. We'll go trick-or-treating—Slytherin style."

She grabbed him by the arm and dragged him back into the castle towards Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, knowing they wouldn't be disturbed there.

"Uh . . .Mione, why are we going in a girl's bathroom?" Draco asked, balking before the door. "I wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea about me."

"That you're a cross dresser?" she asked saucily.

Draco choked. "Hermione!"

"What?" she said impishly. "I think you'd look cute in a dress." Then she burst out laughing. "Only kidding. Come on, Dragonheart. Nobody will notice, they're all at the feast and everyone knows this bathroom is haunted. Harry, Ron, and I brewed Polyjuice Potion in it our second year and nobody ever knew it."

"You've got to be kidding! You—breaking rules? How much punch did you drink?"

"Draco, honestly! I'm not pure as the driven snow, even though I don't like breaking rules, sometimes it's necessary. Now get in here." She opened the door and hauled him into the bathroom.

"What were you brewing the Polyjuice Potion for?" Draco asked.

"To find out who Slytherin's Heir was." Hermione admitted. "Never mind that now. We need to concentrate on making you a costume."

She rolled up her sleeves, pointed her wand, and began Transfiguring. Myrtle soared out of her toilet to see what was going on and cackled loudly. "Oooh . . .that's really funny! What are you doing, Granger? Something naughty with Malfoy?"

The ghost girl stuck her tongue out at Draco, then crossed her eyes and perched upon the sink.

Hermione transfigured two rolls of toilet paper into some large boots that were shaped like dragon feet, with glittering green scales and silver talons. She changed two hand towels into a pair of dragon gloves and then she made Draco's robes into the body of the costume. Finally, she made the head out of a broken faucet head. It was a full mask, and the dragon looked real enough to breathe fire.

"Well, what do you think? Slytherin enough for you?"

Draco whistled. "It's brilliant! And so are you, Mione. Help me put it on?"

She did, and she had made the mask hinged so that Draco could push the head off and it attached at the back of the neck. "How about you?"

Hermione looked challengingly at him. "Your turn, Malfoy. Make me a princess."

Draco blinked. "Okay." He thought hard.

Then he pointed his wand and Transfigured Hermione's ordinary school uniform into a gorgeous dress of ice blue taffeta and tissue that had small sparkles woven in it. It fit closely, like a medieval lady's gown, with an underdress of icy blue tissue and the outer one was of heavier taffeta with the sparkles woven into it. The bodice was just low enough to tempt a second look, but not so low as to be demeaning. The bodice had sparkling silver lace about it and she also had a silver web necklace on with a large aqua drop hanging from it.

Hermione turned and looked in the mirror. "Oh! My hair!"

Her bushy frizzy hair was now wrapped and coiled about her head in dozens of braids and dusted with silver glitter. She also had a small silver tiara and matching shoes of silver and blue.

"Well? Like it?"

"Draco . . .it's . . .I have no words . . .you've made me look like a real princess."

"That's because you are one. At least to me you are," he said tenderly. "All right, now what?"

"Now we get pillowcases and our brooms."

"Pillowcases?" His eyebrow rose into his hair.

"To put our sweets in."

"Oh. Hermione, if your parents didn't let you have sweets what did you do with the ones you got?"

She gave him a guilty smile. "The ones I didn't like I traded with my friends. The other ones I hid beneath my bed. I ate them when my parents were asleep, while I was reading."

Draco shook a playful finger at her.

"Such a naughty girl!" howled Myrtle. "No wonder you like going out with him. He's a bad boy too!"

"Aw, dry up, Myrtle!" Draco ordered irritably.

Hermione summoned a pillowcase and her broom, casting a Featherlight Charm on the pillowcase, so it would remain light as a feather no matter how many sweets were put in it.

Draco followed her lead, for once, and soon they were slipping out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Draco had pulled his dragon costume's head on so no one would recognize him.

The two tiptoed, or at least Hermione did, out of the castle, and then they mounted their brooms and soared into the sky. It was a fantastic night, clear and the full moon shone pale and perfect down upon them. Hermione looked back at Draco, grinned and said, "Come on, Dragonheart, let's go visit my old neighborhood. Oh, and one more thing, try not to scare any little kids."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Spoilsport. What's the point of being a dragon if you can't scare people?"

"You're supposed to be a _good_ dragon." She argued.

"Says who?"

She huffed, then reasoned that it would be unrealistic for to expect a Slytherin to behave on Halloween. "Fine. You can scare anyone who deserves it, but not the little babies and primary school kids."

"Agreed. Scaring the little ones isn't fun, because they cry and then I get a headache." Draco said. Plus, he didn't like making little kids cry, though he would never admit it. "I'll just scare the little brats who are being nasty."

Hermione smiled and then she turned her broom towards Hogsmeade. They would Floo from there to The Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, since Hermione lived in Cambridgeshire, close to Oxford University, and that was too far to travel by broomstick in one night and still get there and back by curfew. But they could do it in stages, partly by Floo powder and the rest by broom, since the brooms could fly very fast and there would be no traffic in the air to slow them down.

**This is for all those Draco/Hermione worshippers out there! Have a Happy Halloween!**

**You all got a double feature today, since I also posted a new short HP fic called Split Second as well! After you read this, check it out! It's a bittersweet little tale. Thanks for reading!**

**I'll have the next part posted soon.**


	2. Meet the Parents

**Meet the Parents**

Draco and Hermione landed behind some trees on a small hill just outside the perimeter of Hermione's street. Luckily it was dark so no one saw them land and they shrank their brooms with a wandless charm and tucked them in the same pocket their wands were in. That done, Hermione beckoned Draco towards the sleepy street, where street lamps provided enough light to walk by.

Draco glanced about curiously. There was a small sign just before the first tall street lamp that read Primrose Lane. "That's the name of your street?"

"Yes. My dad used to joke with my mum and I that we should plant primroses in our yard to match the street." Hermione chuckled.

Draco noticed that many of the houses were small, two story ones, each with a yard decked out in Halloween paraphernalia. Some had carved pumpkins with scary or funny faces, lit by glowing candles. Others had spiderwebs stretched across their doorway and some even had fake gravestones in among the flowerbeds. One house had a huge witch that screamed everytime someone walked past her—loudly.

Draco jumped the first time he heard it. "Merlin! What was that?"

Hermione sniggered. "Relax, it's just an animated witch."

"Animated?"

"Yes, with batteries or something," his girlfriend answered. "Anything you see moving or making noise is done with electricity or batteries, not magic."

Draco cocked his head. "Is that like the Muggle version of magic?"

"Sort of."

Draco pulled on his dragon head as soon as he saw some kids coming down the street. They were swinging trick-or-treat bags and laughing, holding torches (flashlights). Some were dressed as skeletons, one was a vampire, another a lion, and one was wearing a blue checkered dress and glittering red slippers, she carried a wicker basket with a dog inside it. The girl had long brown hair in two braids.

"Who's she supposed to be?" asked Draco.

Hermione looked where he pointed, and answered, "Dorothy from _The Wizard of OZ_. It's an old Muggle movie, a classic." She inhaled the fragrance of autumn, the wet leaves, the cinnamon wafting from the houses, crushed apples, and the crisp air that swirled about them. "The heroine is a little girl named Dorothy Gale. Her house gets picked up by a tornado and carried away to the magical land of OZ."

She continued telling Draco the story while they walked, pointing out different things as they passed houses. "Look at that coffin with the hand coming out of it in that yard. Or the spooky lights strung on the tree by that house. Aren't they neat?"

Draco nodded. They were fairly interesting—for Muggles. He hadn't realized that Muggles enjoyed Halloween so much. Based on all the decorations in the yards and on the houses, it would seem that Muggles loved Halloween as much as their wizard counterparts. "How far down is your house?"

"Just a couple more houses. This is a really long windy street, my house is sort of in the beginning. Why? Getting tired?"

Draco shook his head. "No. I'm not that out of shape."

"My best friend used to live in the house across the street there," Hermione pointed to a blue and white house with a ghost and a pumpkin in the yard hanging from a beech tree. "She moved away though just before I started Hogwarts. Her dad got a job in Manchester. Her name was Emily and I missed her something awful when she left. We used to make science experiments in her basement."

"Did you ever blow anything up?"

She shot him an incredulous look. "Of course not! We only performed safe experiments. Nothing dangerous." She stopped and then turned left into a paved drive. "Here we are. My home."

Draco looked over at the Grangers house. It was a medium-sized house colored cream and accented with red shutters and a door and trim. The walk leading up to the porch was decorated with small lanterns, each with a different Halloween cut-out on it. One had a pumpkin, the other a vampire, a black cat, a skeleton, a witch on a broom, Frankenstein, and a werewolf.

Hermione smiled when she caught sight of them. "Oh, Mum! You remembered!" She turned to Draco. "Just before I left, we bought these lights and I asked Mum to put them up every Halloween for me. And last year she said she forgot."

"They're really nice."

On the porch in a corner was a large string spiderweb with a fake rubber spider in it. Below that was a small painted wheelbarrow with hay and pumpkins inside it and a straw stuffed scarecrow sitting on top.

An orange mat with a witch's face lay on the porch.

On the other side of the porch, near the railing was a large jack-o-lantern. Next to it was a stuffed black cat with glowing red eyes.

"Go on, Draco. Go up and ring the doorbell," Hermione urged, hiding a smirk.

"Then what?"

"Haven't you ever gone trick-or-treating before?" she asked, shocked.

"Uh . . .no . . .not really. Lucius never really thought it was suitable for his heir to do something so . . .common."

"How terrible! He took all the fun out of Halloween."

Draco laughed bitterly. "He took all the fun out of a lot of things, Hermione. Makes me glad I'm free of him and that Uncle Sev is my guardian now."

"Well, now you can start having fun. Go up and ring the bell and then when the door opens, hold out your pillowcase and say trick or treat."

"Okay. I can do that." Draco said. He walked up the stairs and stepped upon the witch mat.

The witch cackled loudly and shrieked, "Yum! Another child for my pot! Just what I always wanted!"

Draco yelped. "Bloody hell!" He jumped about a foot.

Hermione exploded into giggles. "Got you!"

The dragon swung his head about, saying in a somewhat annoyed voice. "You did that on purpose, Granger!"

"Of course! That's part of the fun, tricking your friends. Can't you take a joke?"

"Just wait. I'm going to trick you too before this night's done," threatened the Slytherin playfully.

"I dare you to," challenged the Gryffindor, her eyes sparkling.

"Just remember, you asked for it," Draco warned, smirking behind the mask. Then he turned towards the door and cleared his throat. His hand pressed the glowing button on the side of the door, which had a Halloween themed wreath upon it.

The bell rang and Draco waited anxiously, feeling his palms start to sweat inside his gloves. _You're being ridiculous, Malfoy! What's so hard about saying three little words? It's not like you have to recite on stage._ He couldn't believe he was getting so nervous over something so silly.

The door opened and a woman who had the same bushy hair and bright brown eyes as her daughter peered out. "Why, hello there! My, you're a scary-looking dragon. What a neat costume!"

"Err . . .thanks." Draco stammered. "Uh . . .trick or treat!" He held out his pillowcase.

"Here you go." Mrs Granger took out a basket filled with round balls wrapped in colored orange and black paper. "Popcorn balls. They're healthier than chocolate."

Draco took one. "Thanks."

Then Hermione came up the stairs, holding out her pillowcase. "Trick or treat!"

Mrs Granger smiled. "Oh, what a gorgeous gown! If I didn't know better I'd say it was authentic." She reached for another popcorn ball, then Hermione moved so she was standing under the porch light. "Oh! Hermione? Is that you?" her mother gasped.

"Hi, Mum! Happy Halloween!" Hermione laughed, as her mother set down the basket and hugged her.

"Mione, why didn't you tell us you were coming home? I would have baked a pie and my pepperoni pizza. All I have now is hot cider and donuts."

"That sounds great, Mum. I love your spiced cider and homemade donuts." She turned and caught Draco's arm. "Mum, I want you to meet my . . .boyfriend." She nudged Draco and he removed his mask.

"Boyfriend?" Jane Granger repeated in astonishment. "You . . .when did you get a boyfriend?"

"Recently. About a month ago." Hermione said.

"Come in, both of you. I have to tell your father." She beckoned them inside, leading the way into the kitchen where the delicious aroma of spiced cider and donuts filled the air. Both teenagers felt their mouths start to water.

Draco removed his glove and held out his hand. "Hello, Mrs. Granger. I'm Draco Malfoy. I go to school with her. Pleased to meet you."

"Call me Jane, please," said Jane. She smiled warmly at Draco. _My, but he's a cute one. You've got good taste, Mione. Like me._ "How old are you, Draco?"

"Fourteen. I'm in Slytherin House," he said, before he could think better of it. As if Hermione's Muggle mother would know or care about the Houses of Hogwarts.

But Jane surprised him. "That's the House whose symbol is a snake, right?"

Draco blinked. "Yes, that's right."

"And Slytherins are known for their cunning and ambition, correct?"

Again Draco nodded. "Yes, and we're also perfectionists."

Jane laughed. "It seems like my husband would fit in well there. He's the greatest perfectionist I ever knew. He always has to have his patients leave with a perfect smile, even if he has to make the dentures and implants himself."

Draco smiled back. "That's not such a bad thing. How about you, ma'am?"

"Me? Uh . . .I think I'd probably end up in—"

"You'd be a Ravenclaw, Mum," Hermione interrupted. "You're the one who keeps up with all the latest updates in dentistry and reads all the literature. That's where I get my love of books from, Draco. Mum and I read half the library between us." She put an arm about the older woman's shoulders.

Jane smiled down at her daughter.

Draco noted that their smiles were identical, though Jane was taller and wearing black pants and a jumper with a cat on it and the words _Have a Purr-fect Halloween!_ "Hermione lives in the library."

"Now that's not surprising. Ed swore she came out of the womb with a book in her hand," Jane said. "Speaking of which . . .Ed, come away from the telly and see who's dropped in for Halloween!" she called.

A few moments later, a tall man with dark hair and a lean handsome face entered the kitchen. He had a pair of glasses tucked into his black shirt and was wearing cream colored slacks and orange socks. "Janie, did you have to drag me away just when the Italians were going to score—Hermione! When did you get here?"

"A few minutes ago. Hi, Dad!"

She was immediately enfolded in a hug. Then Ed Granger stepped back and took a long look at his daughter. He whistled. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you were a real princess, sweetheart. You look incredible, Mione! Where did you find that costume?"

"Draco made it, Dad. With magic." Hermione answered.

"Draco?"

Hermione tugged him about and indicated Draco. "Dad, meet Draco Malfoy, my new boyfriend."

Draco immediately held out a hand. "How do you do, sir?"

Ed sized him up before seizing his hand and pumping it up and down. "Hello. So you're a wizard."

"Yes, sir."

"From a wizarding family?"

"Yes, sir. My father is a professor at Hogwarts. He teaches potions."

"A professor's son. That's respectable. And is your mother a witch too?"

"Yes, sir. But she passed away," Draco said swiftly. That was not quite a lie, for Narcissa had disowned him and now he was dead to her and she to him.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Ed said sincerely. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"Yes, I have a younger brother. His name is Harry."

Jane was frowning. She had looked over Hermione's end of term grades and recalled that her potions professor was called Professor Snape. "Hermione, isn't your potions professor called . . .Snap . . .Snape . . .yes, that's it! Snape, like the town in Yorkshire. Did he retire?"

Draco exchanged glances with Hermione. Mrs. Granger was too smart by half. Like mother, like daughter.

"No, Mum. He still teaches potions," Hermione said at Draco's tiny nod. "He's Draco's adopted father."

"Oh. Then your real father has passed away too?" Jane asked sympathetically.

"Yes, it happened suddenly. This past summer. And Uncle Severus was my godfather, and so he adopted me. Harry's his blood son, though," Draco explained. "It's because of him that I have a family again."

"Ah. That's good." Ed said, then quickly changed the subject, not wanting to upset the boy. "Why don't we sit down and have something to eat? I made some broccoli salad and some turkey burgers for dinner and we still have some left over. Would you like some?"

"Sure, Dad," Hermione said quickly, before Draco could say anything. "We'd love some." She pulled Draco down next to her and whispered, "Don't say anything, just eat it. It's good, trust me. Dad can cook."

Draco looked uneasy. What in Merlin's name was broccoli salad? And who had ever heard of turkey burgers? He had a mental image of a drumstick shoved into a bun. And broccoli on a bed of lettuce. Muggles were so strange!

"Okay," he whispered back. "And then can we have the donuts?"

Hermione laughed, he sounded just like a little boy denied candy before supper.

"What's so funny?" Jane asked.

"Draco wanted to know when we were going to have donuts."

"After dinner, of course," both Grangers replied.

Draco sighed. "You sound like my dad. He never lets us eat sweets before dinner."

Ed rose and went to get the broccoli salad and the turkey burgers. He heated the burgers up in the microwave and the broccoli salad was eaten cold.

He placed the turkey burgers on a bun and put on his special sauce, it was ketchup mixed with a little mayo and mustard, plus tomatoes and lettuce. He served one to Draco and the other to Hermione.

Draco peered at the broccoli salad. It appeared to be pieces of raw broccoli cut up in small pieces with shredded carrots, sunflower seeds, bits of bacon, shredded cheddar, and a sweet mayonnaise-vinegrette dressing. He smelled a piece and then ate it cautiously. He wasn't usually a fan of broccoli.

To his shock, he liked it. The combination of sweet and slightly tart and crunchy exploded on his tongue and he found himself eagerly taking another forkful and then another. "This is excellent, Mr. Granger."

Ed beamed. "Thank you. It's one of my specialties. Try my burger."

Draco picked it up and bit into it. It also was very good. The burger was spiced with salt, pepper, and some other spice he couldn't name and the sauce added just the right amount of kick to it. He chewed and swallowed before answering. "It's really good. I've never tasted anything like it."

"That's because he made his own recipe," Hermione said proudly. She was also eating her burger, and she sighed happily. She had missed her dad's cooking at school. Hogwarts food was good, but it was on the heavy side and nobody made broccoli salad and turkey burgers there. She supposed she could have requested some from the house elves, but she didn't want to be a bother and she doubted if the elves would even know what she was talking about. "I forgot how much I missed these, Dad."

"You mean, you actually missed my cooking at that fancy school?" Ed sounded pleased as punch.

Hermione nodded. "Nobody cooks like you, Dad. Right, Draco?"

Draco nodded. Then he said, "You cook almost as good as my dad . . .Professor Snape, I mean. He taught me how to cook a bit over the summer. I can make grilled cheese and a mean ham and cheese omelet. And I can fry fish. We have a pond behind our house and there are trout in it."

"You like to fish then?" Ed asked.

"I love it," Draco said passionately, and soon the two men were involved in talking about the biggest fish they had ever caught.

Mother and daughter just rolled their eyes and then Jane cleared the plates and went to get the plate of donuts and pour the cider into tall mugs.

Over the cider and donuts, which were also delicious, Jane asked, "So what brings you here on Halloween, you two?"

"Hermione wanted me to go trick-or-treating," Draco replied, sipping the cider carefully.

Ed raised an eyebrow. "You poor kid! She dragooned you into chaperoning her around the neighborhood then?"

"Dad! I didn't dragoon him!" Hermione snorted.

"Hermione Jean, tell the truth. You made it impossible for him to refuse, I'd bet my new drill on it." He looked knowingly at Draco. "Right, Draco?"

Draco started to open his mouth, but Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "Don't you dare answer that, Malfoy!"

Draco shut up. No way did he want Hermione to get in a snit on Halloween.

"Giving you orders already, I see. Takes after her mother," Ed said, smirking wickedly.

"Edward!" Jane cried, and smacked him in the face with a dish cloth.

"See what you have to look forward to," Hermione's father lamented, but his eyes were twinkling. "She's lucky I love her."

Hermione groaned. "Oh my God! Dad, _please_!" _Why do they have to act like this? Why? Draco's going to think they're mental._

But when she looked at her boyfriend, expecting to see contempt for the way her parents were behaving in his gray eyes, she saw that the scion of Malfoy Manor was trying very hard not to laugh. And suddenly she wasn't embarrassed any longer. _I really love you, Dragonheart._

"Edward, you're embarrassing your daughter."

"I am?" he looked surprised. "Mione, you're not embarrassed, are you?"

"No, Dad. I'm used to it." Hermione reassured them. "You've always been a nutter."

"A nutter? Oh, thanks very much!" Ed pretended to be insulted. "Do you hear the way she talks to me? Such disrespect! I'll bet you don't talk to _your _father that way, do you, Draco?"

"Uh . . .only when he's in a good mood," Draco said candidly. "Then Harry and I tease him something awful. Until he gets back at us. And he always does, because that's what Slytherins do. We get even."

Ed looked approving. "You get even. I like that."

Jane looked at the two wizard children. "I told you so! You'd fit right in with those Slytherins."

"Something wrong with that?" her husband asked.

"Nothing at all, Dad," Hermione answered. Then she looked at her watch. "Uh, we'd better get going, before all the good sweets are gone."

"Are you going right back to school, or will you be back to see us before you leave?" asked Jane.

"No, by the time we're done, we'll need to get right back." Hermione said regretfully.

"My dad gave us a curfew," Draco added helpfully. "We can't stay out past midnight, or else he'll give us detention."

"Can't have that," said Mr. Granger. "Hermione never gets detention."

Hermione blushed and thanked God that her father didn't know about the time in the Forbidden Forest. Then she rose and said goodbye to her parents and Draco did the same, thanking them for the food and Jane gave them butterscotch cakes to take back and packets of cider. "Hermione knows how to make it," she said, hugging her daughter. "It was nice meeting you, Draco. Come by anytime!"

Draco smiled and said that he would. Then they departed the Granger house, stuffed and needing to walk off some of the excellent extra dinner they had eaten.

Hermione linked her arm with Draco's. "Well, Malfoy, looks like you scored."

Beneath his mask, Draco grinned. He hoped this would prove to be a good omen for the rest of the night.

**Well, what did you think of Hermione's parents?**

**Next: Draco and Hermione encounter a child being tormented by bullies, how will they react?**

****Please note, I'm an American and have patterned the Halloween decorations and such after what we do in my country and hope that it's similar in Britain. If not, I mean no offense. And I figured that the Grangers would be health food junkies, considering their profession which is why they're eating broccoli salad and turkey burgers, which are popular here in America. **


	3. Aiding An Angel

**Aiding An Angel**

"Let's go over to that house next," Hermione suggested, indicating a house decorated with spooky cobwebs and skeletons and screaming faces. The effect was chillingly creepy. The walk was lit by flickering candles set in iron holders and mist rose from the ground.

Draco and Hermione's feet crunched upon the dead leaves placed artfully about the lawn as they made their way to the porch. Hermione let Draco do the honors.

He pressed the bell and waited for the door to open, holding out his pillowcase expectantly, wondering what new sweet would be dropped into it this time. This was the seventh house they had visited and by now Draco was a pro.

The door creaked open and crazy laughter drifted out, and so did a tall man dressed as Dracula, who bared his fangs and hissed, "Velcome to my haunted house! I vant to drink your blood!"

Draco sniggered behind his mask. That accent was so cheesy it was funny. No real vampire spoke that way. "Sorry, I don't taste good." He shook his pillowcase. "Trick or treat!"

The vampire laughed. "Good one, kid." He held out a tray of assorted chocolates. "Take one."

Hermione joined him and added her own trick or treat warble to his.

On the tray were Dime bars, Mars bars, Milky Way stars, Flake bars, Cadbury milk chocolate, Galaxy bars, and Caramac bars.

Draco hesitated, then took a Dime bar, it was a crunchy caramel bar covered in milk chocolate. Hermione took a Flake bar, which was layers of thin chocolate piled on top of each other and covered in milk chocolate. It flaked when you bit it.

"Thank you!" they chorused.

"You are velcome!" then the vampire laughed evilly and waved them away. "Next victim!"

As they walked down the porch, Draco whispered, "If he'd ever met a real vampire, he'd wet his pants."

"Probably," Hermione admitted. "After you've met Phil, all those fake vampires pale in comparison. He puts Brad Pitt to shame."

"Brad Pitt?"

"An American actor. Really cute, he plays a vampire in the film _Interview With the Vampire_. It's based on the book by Anne Rice."

"Merlin's shorts, Mione, but is there any movie you've seen that _isn't_ based on a book?" Draco asked, gently teasing.

"Of course. I just can't think of any right now," she admitted sheepishly. "But Phil is absolutely gorgeous!"

"Well, of course! He's a Snape and the Born vampires are all very handsome." Draco said. "Come on, let's go to the next house." He led the way across to the next house on the street.

Thirteen houses later they paused to examine their haul of sweets thus far. Some houses had given out packages of Juicy Fruit and Doublemint gum, others had given fizzy cola bottles and Rowntree's Fruit Gums, toasted tea cakes, Blackjack sticks, Starbursts, Sugar Mice, and candy necklaces and bracelets.

Hermione admitted she had a secret passion for Flake bars and Draco gave her almost all of his, and she in turn gave him her Cadbury fruit and nut bars, since he said he liked them after trying one earlier in the evening.

They had turned off Primrose Lane to another street that crossed it called Queen's Terrace and had made their way halfway down the block when they heard a soft sobbing coming from somewhere up ahead. The street wasn't as well lighted here as on Primrose, and Hermione squinted hard before she saw the little girl sitting on the edge of the pavement, crying heartbrokenly.

She looked to be about six or seven, and was dressed like an angel, with a pretty white satin robe and feathery wings attached to her back. She had long golden hair curled into ringlets and would have looked adorable except for the fact that her wings were bent and hanging off, her robe was torn at the knee, and her halo was askew.

They heard loud laughter and the sound of feet running up the street as they approached, and Hermione could guess what had happened. It was a common practice of bullies to steal little kids' candy and then run away. She knelt down by the crying angel and said, "Hey. Are you all right? What's your name? I'm Hermione."

The little girl peeked shyly up at her, tears dripping down her round face. "'Lo. Those mean old Stavros brothers stole all my sweets! And they . . .they knocked me down and made me hurt my knee!" She indicated her scraped knee and torn costume.

"Aww! You poor thing!" Hermione said compassionately.

"My name's Lucy Morrison," the little girl said, hiccupping.

Hermione's brow furrowed. "Morrison . . .Do you by chance have a sister named Jenny?" The child nodded. "I went to primary school with her. How come you're out here all alone, Lucy?"

"My friend's mum just dropped me off and I was going back home when they came and grabbed my trick-or-treat bag. My house is right there." She pointed to a large brick house right across the street. Loud music was blaring from it and it had the most Halloween decorations on the whole street.

Hermione was not surprised. The Morrisons were rich and always had the best of everything. Jenny had always had the latest styles of clothes and shoes and handbags and had been something of a trendsetter.

"What direction did they run off in?" asked Draco, coming up behind Hermione.

Lucy looked up at the large dragon looming over them and squeaked in fear. "Ahhh!"

"It's okay, that's just my boyfriend, don't be scared," Hermione reassured her. "He's a good dragon."

"He is?" Lucy shrank against Hermione.

"Sometimes," Draco joked, then sobered when he realized Lucy wasn't up to joking around. He unfastened his mask and pushed it back. "Just joking." He gave the girl his best smile. "Hi. I'm Draco."

Lucy smiled shyly. "Hi."

Draco knelt on her other side. "Can you tell me where those other kids went? The ones who stole your candy?" he repeated.

"Back there," she pointed up the street, around a corner. "Why?"

Draco's smile vanished. "Because I'm going to teach them a lesson, that's why."

Lucy stared at him. "You are? But they're really mean, and they like beating kids up. Aren't you scared?"

Draco shook his head proudly. "No. I'm not afraid of any Mu—uh . . .anyone. Only a bully and a coward picks on little girls." His mouth firmed and for one instant he reminded Hermione of Severus Snape, sharp as a blade and fierce as a falcon defending his fledglings.

"Draco . . .what are you thinking?" she asked warily.

He looked at her. "That her Halloween's going to be ruined like mine used to be unless I get her treats back." He stood up, dusting himself off. Then he pulled his mask back on and started down the street at a brisk run, or as much of a run as he could manage.

He didn't question why he cared so much about one little Muggle girl, or why he was so angry at what had happened to her, he simply allowed himself to feel furious. _Stupid rotten gits! Wait till I get them. I'll make them beg her pardon on their knees._

"Draco!" Hermione called. "Draco, wait! Don't go alone, you might get hurt."

Draco kept walking.

Hermione sighed. "Men!" She looked at Lucy. "Can you walk, sweetie, or should I carry you?"

Lucy stood up. "I can walk. My knee isn't bad," she said gamely.

"Come on then. We have to watch Draco's back, okay?" said the witch, and she grabbed Lucy's hand and started to run after Draco.

"Slow down!" Lucy yelped. "I . . .can't keep up!" she panted.

"Sorry!" The older girl slowed, wishing she could fly her broom, for Draco was almost out of sight around the corner.

Draco wished that Hermione hadn't made his dragon feet so large, it made it difficult to run in. Of course, she hadn't expected him to go chasing after a pair of bullies. _Next Halloween, I'm going to wear boots or something. Maybe I'll be a fae lord._ Thinking about the fae made Draco long to have their eyesight. All the High Court fae could see in the dark as if it were brightest day. He wished he dared take out his wand and cast a light spell, but he knew better than to do magic in a Muggle neighborhood. The Aurors would be on him like a shot and he didn't want to end the night by getting a citation from the Ministry and risk being sent to jail. _Dad would kill me._

The street was dark and most of the lights had been knocked out or were sputtering for some reason. The houses on this part of the street were dark or half-built and a wind had sprang up out of nowhere and tore through the trees with a screeching hiss.

Up ahead, Draco heard the sound of laughter and male voices.

"Wot you got, Joe?"

"Lots, now that we nicked the bag off of that little blighter. She had some prime sweets!"

"Oi, lemme have a look! You can't hog it all!"

"I want some!" whined a third voice.

Draco slowed, recalling his father's lessons in defense. Never ever walk directly up to an opponent without scouting the terrain first and making sure it wasn't a trap. Severus's words echoed in his head, mingling with the way the tiny angel had looked sitting beneath the street lamp—woebegone and miserable, as if the sky had come crashing down on her head. Though he would have rather been thrashed till he howled than admit it, Draco Malfoy had a soft spot for little children, particularly little girls. He had secretly always longed for a little sister, but a part of him was grateful that Lucius and Narcissa had not had any more children, so they wouldn't hurt another child the way they had hurt him.

He crept up on the bullies, there were three of them, silent as the wind, his eyes flashing. One was dressed as a zombie, with a needle sticking out of his cheek, another was wearing a Grim Reaper costume that sort of looked like a dementor, and the last one was dressed as a dead skater boy, with fake worms falling out of his shirt and his hair gelled up in spikes. They were all hunkered down on the pavement, looking at all the treats they had collected, fairly and unfairly, from all over the neighborhood.

For one instant, he paused, thinking swiftly, _Three to one odds. And two of them look almost as big as Crabbe and Goyle. But one is a runt. I must be crazy. Taking on three at once—that's something Harry would do. Bloody hell, I think I've caught Gryffindoritis! _But he could not turn away now. He had promised Lucy he would get her treats back, and he had been taught by Severus to never make a promise he couldn't keep.

His jaw firmed. It was time to teach some sweet-snatching bullies a lesson they'd never forget.

_Come on, Malfoy! You don't need magic to take these idiots. You know kin-sa-dor._ He took several breaths, submersing himself in the battle trance the way he did when he practiced with Severus and Harry. He felt the familiar tingle of the other awareness sweep over him and he stepped out of the shadows.

"Nice haul you've got there," he said softly.

The three brothers spun about, scattering sweets across the road.

"W-Who are you?"

"Get along with you! This is ours, go get your own!" said the larger of the brothers.

"You tell 'em, Joe!" piped up the smallest one.

"You took something that doesn't belong to you," Draco said, using the same soft deadly tone he had heard his father use countless times on students. "Give it back."

"Prove it!" challenged the skater boy, his chin thrusting out.

Draco lifted a hand and pointed to a dainty bag with some princesses on it. "You into girl bags, tough guy?"

The other flushed. "Mind your own business before we clobber you."

Draco laughed. "Last chance. Give back the sweets you stole from Lucy Morrison. Or else."

"Or else what, hero? You gonna take us all on?" Joe sniggered. He clenched a fist. "You're just asking to get thrashed."

Draco pushed back the dragon mask, for he needed full range of vision in order to defend himself. "No, you are." He wriggled his feet free of the dragon boots, for his agility would be sorely hampered otherwise, and he needed every ounce of speed he possessed. His stocking feet touched the pavement lightly.

The zombie pointed at Draco's feet and howled, "Oi, Milo, check the socks he's got on! They've got snakes on 'em! Oooh, now I'm really scared! What kind of arse wears snake socks?"

"A dead one." His brother answered, and started forward.

Draco's eyes gleamed. "That's what you think."

Joe swung a heavy right, intending to shatter the upstart's nose and teach the skinny arse about messing with the Stavros brothers.

But his fist connected with air.

Draco leaped aside, snapping a sharp kick upwards. The toe of his snake sock struck Joe full in the chin.

"Oww!" the bully screeched as his teeth slammed together. He wobbled, then fell over on his bottom, clutching his chin.

The other two growled and cried, "C'mon! Let's get him!"

As they started forward, Draco ducked under one brother's arm and grabbed him, spinning about and tossing the other over his shoulder.

The Grim Reaper landed with a thud behind him.

"Blimey, but he knows jujitsu or karate!" cried the small one in alarm.

Draco sneered at him. "Well? Are you going to give back the candy?"

The smaller one gulped and backed away.

"Like hell!" Joe spat, and tackled Draco about the knees, knocking him to the ground.

One meaty fist hit Draco a glancing blow on the side of the face, making his ears ring. But he'd taken worse from Sarai when they had sparred. He drew his knees up, and planted the heels of his feet in the bigger boy's chest, bringing his arms up to block Joe's wild swings.

Then he shoved hard and lifted the other boy off of him, kicking with all his strength.

Joe was sent backwards to land with a thud upon the ground, and Draco flipped to his feet, hearing footsteps behind him.

He was bruised, but his costume had cushioned his fall, and he could not risk another attack from behind. He turned, hands up, eyes hard, only to see Hermione and Lucy behind him.

Hermione gasped. "Draco! Your face!"

He gave her a lopsided smile before spinning back around. "What? You've seen my scar before." He was referring to the scar he had received after the trial from his mother, when she had slapped him and disowned him.

"Haw! Looks terrible, don't it?" giggled the youngest brother. "And just wait till me and Milo get through with him, you won't recognize him, cute thing." Then he sprang at Draco just as his brother darted out of the shadows and tried to ram the smaller Slytherin.

But Draco had their measure now, and he used his quick reflexes to spring up and out, jumping up and avoiding both brothers' rush.

The two slammed into each other, Milo ended up cracking his head into his brother's and he fell on top of him with a grunt of shock. The two lay there, stunned.

Draco turned and gave them a contemptuous look. "That'll teach you to mess with a Slytherin."

"What's a . . . Slytherin?" groaned Joe.

"Your worst nightmare," Draco growled, then he bent and took the Disney princess bag from the pile of sweets. "Is this yours, Lucy?"

The little girl nodded, her halo bobbing up and down like a will-o-wisp.

He tossed the bag to Hermione, who caught it easily.

The three Stavros brothers were holding their heads and groaning.

Draco turned and scooped up some more treats that had fallen out of one of their pillowcases.

"Hey! That's ours! Gimme it back!" whined the youngest. "Oooh, my head!"

"Consider this payback for ruining my Halloween," Draco said smoothly. He tucked the sweets into his bag. Then he slipped his feet back into the dragon boots and gave them all his best Snape glare.

They cringed.

Draco walked over to Hermione and Lucy. He winced when Hermione touched the left side of his face.

"You need ice on that before it bruises," Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"You can get some at my house," Lucy offered generously. She gazed up at Draco in awe. "You beat up the Stavros! _Nobody's_ ever done that before. Not even Mike Henderson, and he plays rugby."

Draco ruffled her hair. "Don't mention it, kid." He put an arm about Hermione and together the three walked back to Lucy's house, leaving the three unfortunate bullies to limp home, aching and whimpering all the way down the street.

Draco touched his cheek gingerly. He would have to heal it before they went back into the school, else Severus would have his hide. But it had been worth it to see that pack of jackals humiliated and put a smile back on little Lucy's cherubic face. Not to mention the way Hermione's eyes lingered on him, with admiration and love. That alone would be worth a dozen scoldings from Snape, he thought, concealing a smile.

**Well, how did you like it?**

**Next: As a thnak you, Lucy tells Draco and Hermione to go and join the Halloween party her older sister is throwing. And things take another unexpected turn!**


	4. Halloween Bash

**Halloween Bash**

The bass from the stereo down in the basement was making the floor in the kitchen vibrate a little, as the three wayward trick-or-treaters discovered when they entered the Morrison's house. The kitchen was sort of a mess, with kids' trick-or-treat bags and pillowcases all over the chairs and table, and dirty pans in the sink. Otherwise the kitchen was spotless, all shiny chrome and wood inlaid cabinets.

Draco raised his eyebrows when he walked in, wondering what all the strange things along the wall were. Lucy just looked around and groaned. "Jenny better get her friends to help her clean up, or else Mummy and Daddy are going to ground her again and take away her cell."

"Take away what?" Draco asked, confused.

"Her cell phone, you know." Lucy said, shooting him an odd look. "Last time she had a sleepover and left the house a mess, she got in trouble."

"Where's your parents?" Hermione asked, thinking that her parents would have never gone away and left her to have a Halloween party alone.

"They went to Halloween benefit for Daddy's work." Lucy informed them, pulling open the freezer and removing an ice cube tray. "Mrs. Lane, our nanny was supposed to be watching us, but she got a cold and took some cold pills and fell asleep on the couch. She won't wake up till tomorrow morning. I was gonna stay over my friend Melly's house, but then I got scared and I wanted to go home." She rummaged in a drawer and found a large plastic bag that she dumped the ice in, sealed it and wrapped it in a dish towel. "This should help your face, Draco."

She gave him the cloth filled with ice and he thanked her and put it against his cheek. It made him feel better almost immediately. Then she refilled the ice cube tray and stuck it back in the freezer.

Draco badly wanted to ask what all the strange things were along the wall, but couldn't until Lucy ran to the loo and to change out of her costume. Then Hermione told him about refrigerators, ovens, microwaves, and dishwashers, pointing out each one and how it was used. Draco found himself impressed by the appliances, and examined the refrigerator with interest. It was similar to the magical ice box at Prince Manor.

Lucy reappeared in her pajamas and said that she was tired and going to have a cup of cocoa and go to bed. "You can go downstairs and join the party. There's so many kids here, nobody will care. I think Jenny invited the whole school. They've got food and punch down there and soda and everything. Jenny said they were going to have a bean bag toss with prizes and bob for apples and have an award for the scariest costume and stuff. You should go, it's fun. Wish I could, but Jenny says I'm too little." She sighed.

Hermione looked at Draco. "Do you want to?"

He shrugged. "If you do." He was actually quite curious to see how a Muggle Halloween party compared to a wizard one.

"All right. We'll go for a bit. Like maybe an hour." Hermione agreed. She wondered if she would recognize anyone there from when she used to attend primary school and if they would recognize her. She bit her lip. Some of the girls hadn't been nice to her when she was growing up and though it had been four years since she had seen them, she wondered if it had made a difference, or if they were still the same shallow stuck-up people they had been before.

Still, once they caught sight of Draco next to her, she was certain they would be drooling with envy. She gave Draco a smile. He had no idea how much of a hot babe he was. There was just something about his platinum hair and beautiful gray eyes that made girls go weak in the knees, and when he smiled . . .he could send a girl into cardiac arrest. At least Hermione thought so. She had thought so even when he was an immature arrogant little brat back as a first and second year, she admitted inwardly. _I'm so glad he grew up and changed, because I could never love him the way I do now if he hadn't. Professor Snape really worked a miracle there. Draco's lucky to have him for his father now._

They shared cocoa with Lucy and then Hermione went and tucked her into bed before coming back downstairs. "Well, you ready to attend a Muggle Halloween bash?"

"Halloween bash?" he repeated.

"That's slang for a wild party," she chuckled. "And it sounds like it's jumping down there." She pointed to the basement stairs.

Draco grinned and set down the cloth with the half-melted ice. "I'm ready whenever you are, Mione." He took her hand and then pulled his mask over his head. "If they had a contest for the Most Beautiful Girl—you'd win."

Hermione blushed. "You're sweet, Malfoy! But that's a matter of opinion."

"Uh huh. But _my_ opinion is the only one that counts," he replied, then opened the basement and together they descended the stairs.

They were playing _Monster Mash_ on the stereo and there was a large strobe light flashing in the middle of the ceiling, and a disco ball as well. The basement was decorated with orange and black streamers, cardboard bats hung from the ceiling as well and balloons floated about as well. The wood paneled walls had scary pictures hung on them and a glowing skull laughed and screamed as they entered the basement.

Teenagers in various kinds of costumes were laughing, talking and munching snacks. Some were dancing, others were sipping some kind of fruity punch from bowls. Draco saw kids dressed as vampires, zombies, princesses, fairy godmothers, flappers, mummies, ghosts, and even dogs and black cats. One girl was dressed as a peacock, complete with a long feathered tail. Another, a tall blond, was dressed like Queen Elizabeth the First, and still another was wearing a revealing Cleopatra costume, complete with a fake asp around her bosom. Two or three were masquerading as witches, but Draco had never seen a witch dressed in such revealing clothes wearing fishnet stockings! A few were wizards, and all of them wore pointed hats, beards, and long velvet robes. Draco had to stifle a laugh. They reminded him of Dumbledore wanna-bes.

"Merlin's bloody beard!" he muttered.

No one said anything when they walked in, though several girls exclaimed over the realistic costume Draco was wearing and several guys stopped and stared appreciatively at Hermione.

"Nice dress!"

"Yeah, she's a hot thing. Anybody got a pen? I want to get her number," said a mummy knight to his friend.

A bored looking twelve-year-old wearing a skeleton costume was standing by the bean bag toss, holding a bag of prizes. "Get three bean bags in the holes and you win your choice!" he was saying, rolling his eyes. He looked a bit like Lucy.

Hermione leaned in and whispered to Draco. "I think that's Jenny's brother, Mark."

They walked over to where the bean bag toss was set up.

Mark looked up. "Try your luck?" he asked. "Awesome costume, mate!" He stared at the dragon mask, his eyes bugging out. "Where'd you buy it?"

"It's homemade," Draco replied, he exhaled and his breath flowed out the mask's nostrils.

Mark goggled. "Wow! That's sweet!"

"Give me three bean bags, please," Hermione said.

Mark looked over at her. "You've got a neat one too! Here, take four, 'cause I like your costumes." He handed Hermione four orange bean bags.

She examined the plastic grid upon the table, about six feet from where she was standing, there were plastic covers with X's on them over each hole.

"Think you can get three in?" asked Draco.

Hermione nodded. "I used to be really good at this game. Emily and I used to play it all the time."

She sighted and carefully took aim before flicking her bean bag at the table.

It landed right in a square with a blue X.

"Nice! Two more and you win!" Mark clapped.

Hermione wound up for the next shot.

A second bean bag fell into a hole.

"Hey, you really _are_ good," said Draco, surprised.

"Thanks!" she smiled.

Then she threw the third bean bag.

But she misjudged and overshot the mark. It landed on the floor.

"Blast! Missed one!" groaned Draco.

"But I still have one more." Hermione reminded him, then she took aim again.

The bag soared up, up, up . . .then it landed with a _plonk!_

Right in the center of the tray.

"You did it!" Draco clapped. Then he hugged her.

Hermione was grinning.

Mark picked up the bag of prizes. "Here. Take your pick."

There were small bean bag witches, bags of boiled sweets, and pumpkin light-up necklaces. Hermione picked a necklace.

"Your turn, Draco."

"All right, but I have to take off my mask." He did so, and Mark gave him four bean bags as well.

His first toss was off by a mile, and the bean bag smashed into the wall.

"Not so hard, Draco. It's not a Quaffle," Hermione said softly. "Throw it gently."

"Right." He tossed the bean bag more softly this time and it landed in a spot on the edge of the platform.

Hermione smiled. "That's it! See, you can do it."

Two tosses later Draco was the proud owner of a bean bag witch. "For you," he said, and handed the prize to Hermione.

"How did you know that I wanted her too?" she exclaimed.

"I just did." He shrugged.

She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek. "C'mon, let's get some punch and some snacks." There was a snack table set off to the right with a pumpkin table cloth filled with Halloween cupcakes and biscuits and small pizzas, pigs in a blanket, and mini egg rolls. A large punch bowl was set right in the middle of it, with small black plastic cups around it. The bowl looked like a skull and the ladle like a skeletal hand.

"Hey, just be careful about the punch," Mark warned.

"Why?" asked Hermione.

"Uh . . .some of the older guys, Jenny's friends' brothers, they might have spiked the punch with rum or something. So don't drink too much or else you'll end up with a sore head."

"Thanks for the warning," Hermione said.

Draco and she carefully avoided the punch, even though it looked tempting. They took cans of soda instead and a few of the small snacks, which were pretty good. Hermione smiled when she saw Draco taste his soda for the first time.

"It's good, but it kind of tickles the back of your throat," he said.

"That's the carbonation," Hermione explained. "You know, the bubbles."

After they had finished their snacks, they threw their trash in a plastic bucket. Hermione was appalled at how many teens just left their paper plates, cloths, and cups or cans on tables or on the floor. Crumbs littered the floor and there was a sticky puddle where someone had spilled their drink. But the teenagers simply stepped over or around it, unconcerned.

"Do you want to bon for apples?" she asked, indicating a large oak barrel where several apples were floating inside cinnamon flavored water. "You grab an apple with your teeth, or try to. It's fun. As long as you don't have to worry about braces."

"That doesn't sound too hard." Draco watched as another shorter boy in a wolfman costume ducked his head into the barrel. After several minutes he came up sputtering, much to the amusement of his friends.

"This is impossible!" he declared. "I dare any of you to try it."

"I'll try," Draco said, walking over.

The teens looked at each other. "Who's he?" asked a girl wearing green make-up longingly. "He's like . . .totally hot!"

"Don't know."

"Never saw him before," giggled her friends, a ladybug and a trapeze artist. "But maybe you can get to know him better, Shirl."

Hermione moved to put her arm about Draco possessively.

"Looks like he's taken," said the ladybug.

"Humph!" sniffed Shirl. "You know . . .she looks familiar somehow, April. Where do I know her from?"

Her other two friends shook their heads.

"Come on, Dragon! Let's see you do it!" challenged the wolfman.

Draco walked up to the barrel and peered inside. All the apples looked bright red and round and more than a few had teeth marks in them. Draco took a breath. _Hope I don't get some disease from doing this._ Then he lowered his face into the barrel, his mouth open, and tried to grab a floating apple.

He could hear the screams of the girls and the jeers of the boys watching, but he ignored them, focusing only on the apple. It was just next to his nose. He turned his head slightly . . ._there!_ He closed his mouth firmly on it, biting down hard.

Then he jerked his face from the water, the apple protruding from his mouth. He feared he looked like a demented pig waiting to be slaughtered.

"He got one!" squealed the girls. "Hot and talented too!"

Draco removed the apple from his mouth and bit into it casually, trying to look cool and collected, as if he did this every day. He looked about and saw Hermione on the outskirts of the circle, smiling.

"Damn, you're good," said the wolfman boy. "That's the first time I've seen anyone do it since Freddie Andrews, three hours ago. What's your name?"

"Malfoy," Draco replied.

"Think you can do it again, Malfoy?"

"Probably. Why?"

"I'll make you a bet. I'll bet you two of my chocolate bars that you can't get another apple out of there."

"Three." Draco countered.

"All right."

"You're going to lose, Tom!" jeered another boy.

"Maybe, maybe not." He gestured to the barrel. "Go on, Malfoy."

Draco returned to the barrel and submerged his face again. This time he was even quicker to get an apple.

Tom groaned good-naturedly and went over and gave Draco three Cadbury bars from his bag. "How'd you get so good at bobbing for apples?"

"I don't know. It just comes naturally, I guess." He took a paper napkin and dried off the apple he had gotten, setting it on the table.

"A lot of things seem to come naturally to you, handsome," purred Shirl, coming over to him and smiling. "Want to dance?"

"Uh . . .no thanks. I'm already with someone," Draco said, thinking the girl sort of reminded him of Pansy with that hungry look in her eyes.

"Who?"

"Me," Hermione elbowed her way to Draco's side and stood glaring at the other girl.

Shirl sniffed haughtily. She looked Hermione up and down. "I know you from somewhere. You used to go to school at Wyndham, didn't you?"

"Yes." Hermione said shortly. She also remembered Shirley Penrose.

"I knew it!" Shirl eyed Hermione with dislike. Then she gasped. "Why, you're that buck-toothed, mop-headed Granger girl!" she brayed, doubled over with laughter. "Look April and Tina! It's Grungy Geeky Granger!"

The other two girls stared at Hermione and started giggling. "Looks like she got a make-over!"

"Either that or surgery," snickered Penrose. "Because she used to be one ugly little rat."

Hermione stood there, her face flaming, and wished she could Apparate back to Hogwarts. It would seem that her past had come back to haunt her.

**I'm delighted with the responses I've gotten to this little story! Thanks so much!**

**Who wants to predict what happens next? Anyone???**


	5. Grungy Geeky Granger

**"Grungy Geeky Granger"**

Shirl laughed mockingly, her lips curled in disgust as if she smelled something foul. "Remember, April, the time Grungy fell face-first in a mud puddle and she got all mucky and she came to school like that . . .dripping mud all over like _mud monster_!"

Her two cronies tittered, just as they always had.

Hermione's ears burned and she felt the old humiliation come raging back and suddenly it was as if the past four years had never been and she was back at Wyndham Primary, the outcast geeky girl with buck teeth and frizzy hair.

_She had been running across the playground, hoping that she could get to school before the late bell rang, and it had rained that night and the ground was sopping. Her brand new loafers squelched through the puddles and the grass, her bookbag bouncing on her hip. If she were late she would get a demerit and she had never gotten one and she didn't want to break her record—the best in her class._

_She passed Shirl and April and her set, they were loitering on the edge of the playground, hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the older boys, they liked to pretend they were going to ask them out. Hermione thought they were stupid and dull, but at the same time she wished she had Shirl's beautiful golden hair or April's clothes or Tina's smile, which was perfect. She got top marks but she was mocked for her braces and her hair and nobody save Emily would willingly be seen with "Geeky Granger"._

_She hurried past, intent on avoiding the huge puddle that had formed at the edge of the pavement and the grass, a result of the boys playing tackle rugby too many times. But her foot caught on something and she sprawled face first in the huge mud puddle._

_Coughing and sputtering, she attempted to get up, only to feel a hand shove her back into the muck._

_"Stay there, Granger! You belong in the muck, like the rest of the geeks!" laughed Shirl. "Look, girls! Granger's all mucky and muddy, like a pig! Grungy Geeky Granger!"_

_"Grungy Geeky Granger!" the other two chanted, cackling._

_Hermione got up and ran inside, filthy and humiliated, followed by the three girls, who were still chanting that horrible nickname and who promptly announced to half the school that Hermione had tripped and fallen in a great puddle of mud, like a clumsy baby._

_A teacher had come out to investigate and caught sight of the miserable girl standing there, mud all over her, and the others jeering and laughing. "Clear out, you lot! Go to your classrooms, quick now! Come, girl, had a bit of a fall, did you?"_

_"I . . .well . . .you see . . ."_

_"Granger fell right in the mud, slipped, Miss Pigeon," said Shirl sweetly. "We saw the whole thing. And now her clothes are ruined."_

_"Yes, thank you Penrose. Come along, Miss Granger, we'll see what we have in the extra clothing room . . ." she began to lead Hermione away._

_"But . . .Miss Pigeon . . .that's not what happened . . ." she began in a small voice._

_"Now, don't worry about it, Granger, it was an accident . . ."_

_Hermione shut up, knowing full well she wouldn't be believed. Penrose was popular and well liked by teachers, no one would think she tripped Hermione on purpose._

_Two days later, it was all over the school, and eight-year-old Hermione had a nickname that stuck to her like mud and she had not managed to shed it until three years later, when she went to Hogwarts . . ._

"I landed in a puddle because _you_ tripped me, Penrose," Hermione said, glaring at the other girl.

"What if I did?" laughed Shirl meanly. "It suited you. Although . . .you've finally straightened those chipmunk teeth out, I see. How'd you end up with a hot one like him, anyhow? Your mum pay him to go out with you? Or doesn't he know what a loser you are?"

"From where I'm standing, _you're_ the loser, Penrose," Hermione said, though inwardly she wanted to cringe and flee. Shirl Penrose had always managed to make her feel like dirt and she was chagrined to discover that the girl's comments cut as deep now as they had been when she was younger. _Oh God, what must Draco think now? Now that he knows the truth. _She looked up at Draco, and saw to her relief that his gray eyes were burning white heat at Penrose and her gaggle of geese.

Shirl tossed her head. "As if! You can dress like a princess, Granger, but all of here know what you really are—a grubby greasy grungy thing!"

"Yeah, who invited you to Jenny's party anyhow?" demanded April spitefully. "You've been away at that fancy school up North, when did you get an invitation?"

"Bet she didn't," sneered Tina. "Bet she's gatecrashing. Who'd want _her_ at a party anyhow? She might contaminate us."

"For your information, Grant, I was invited here. By Lucy. We rescued her from the Stavros brothers." Hermione informed her sharply. "But I'd sooner hang out with a sea hag than you. You're all a pack of . . .of . . .jealous rotten bitches who need to be beaten with an ugly stick! Or any stick for that matter!"

"Like _you_ were?" sneered April.

Hermione's hand itched for her wand, but she knew better than to use magic. But oh, how she longed to make those girls wail with a Boil Hex or a Medusa Curse! "Be careful, Penrose, Whitney, and Grant. You might look like a witch, Penrose, but I know a real one. And if you don't watch it, something bad will happen to you some night," Hermione hissed warningly, and her magic stirred in response to her anger.

The barrel of apples and water began to bubble and froth and the decorations on the ceiling began to revolve faster and faster. The disco ball began blinking off and on.

With a great effort, Hermione got herself under control. She took a deep breath and said, "Come on, Draco, let's go home. We don't need to stay where we're not wanted, with these creepy whiny hags." Then she turned on her heel and strode towards the stairs, her head high.

Draco shot them all a glare before turning to follow.

Until a slender hand grabbed his sleeve. "Don't go, cutie. _You_ can stay." Shirl said, giving him a smile.

Draco yanked his arm from her grasp as if she were poison. "Don't touch me! I wouldn't stay if you paid me a million in gold, you selfish nasty cow! Hermione's worth twelve of you! You're nothing but trash masquerading as quality." He brushed off his sleeve fastidiously and gave her his most haughty nose-in-the-air scion-of-Malfoy-Manor look. "And I know class because _I_ am a lord's son. Now, if you'll excuse me . . ."

"How _dare_ you?" Shirl screeched. "My uncle's got a seat in Parliament! What's Granger got?"

"Brains, integrity, and beauty," Draco returned. "Something which you can't buy. You've got to be born with that and you definitely weren't, harpy. You want a guy, go stand out on the corner and wait for a tomcat." Then he spun around and walked away. He was furious. How dare they say such things about his Hermione! He snapped his fingers and the barrel of apples exploded, showering the girls with cold water and hard apples.

They shrieked and wailed, for their costumes were now wet and the apples left bruises in unseemly places.

But Draco wasn't finished yet. He waited until he was starting up the stairs before he made the all the lights in the basement go out.

As the room was plunged into darkness, the teens began shouting and screaming, terrified at how the lights had gone out.

"I can't see!"

"What the hell happened?"

"I think we blew a fuse! Anybody got a light?"

"Oww! Hey, that's my foot, you git!"

Draco smirked and continued up the stairs. Served them right. But a small voice in the back of his head was whispering that once he too had been like those rude idiots, teasing Hermione out of jealousy and spite.

He hurried up the stairs and went to collect his trick-or-treat bag from beside the door, looking about for Hermione. He didn't see her anywhere in the house.

He went out the door, calling, "Mione? Where are you?"

There was no sign of her. Draco started down the porch stairs, looking all over. "Hermione! Where did you get off to?"

Then he caught sight of a familiar flash of a tiara and saw Hermione sitting beneath a large oak tree on the Morrison's front lawn, her bag next to her. Draco hurried over to her. "Granger, why didn't you wait for me?"

She lifted her face from her hands. It was blotchy with tears. "Because now you know—you know what I was before . . .nothing but a freaky outcast like they said. I was the grungy geek that nobody wanted to play with, much less date." She sniffled, wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "How can you want to go out with me, Malfoy? I'm a . . .a _disaster!_"

**Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed this and Bubble Bubble and all the Prince Manor stories.**

**I will be posting my first song fic here tonight, it's called There Goes My Life, and it is not related to anything I've done before. Please review and let me know what you think.**

**Next: Draco and Hermione have a heart to heart talk.**


	6. Reflections

**Reflections**

Draco remained speechless for a good minute or two, first because he had never seen Hermione cry, except when he had gotten hurt, but never over herself, and the other reason because he couldn't believe she would take what those jealous idiots said to heart so. He dropped to his knees, though kneeling in the dragon costume was difficult, the tail kept tangling in his feet.

"You're not a disaster, 'Mione," he said sincerely. "They are. All of three of them. Jealous, scared, stupid little girls who can't believe what you've grown up into."

"What do you mean? All they see is what I used to be." She sniffled, and Draco handed her a large cloth napkin from inside his costume, he'd snitched it off the Grangers. "I tried so hard to forget what I used to be, but sometimes the past never goes away."

"For them, it doesn't. But for you it has. Listen to me. I know all about past mistakes, I've made so many of them. Tonight, I was furious at them. Not just because they hurt you, but because they reminded me of what I used to be. Once I was just like them."

"Not really."

"Yes. Think about it. I was raised like them, I had money and prestige and I was taught to look down on anyone who wasn't a pureblood with money. Once I was jealous of you too. Jealous of your brains and the way you had all the answers. You outperformed me on everything in first year. Father—Lucius—was fit to be tied." He winced in remembrance. The beating that had followed Lucius' discovery of that little fact had been one of the worst he had ever received. "I was humiliated and angry that I'd allowed a mere Muggleborn to do that. Father told me I had shamed my entire House by doing that and he sent me to Uncle Sev for the summer for remedial lessons."

Hermione dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, then she looked him in the eye. "He did more than just that to you," she stated softly. "Harry told me."

"Yes, he did," Draco sighed. "That was one of the reasons I was such a terrible git to you second year. Lucius told me that he would buy all the Slytherin team new brooms if I beat you in all my subjects that year and secure me a spot on the team. And I wanted to prove to him I was a good student and worthy of being his son. Plus, I knew damn well what would happen if I failed. Lucius never tolerated failure, not in anybody. Especially not in me."

"He was a horrible man. I'm sorry, Draco, but it's the truth."

"Don't apologize, the truth doesn't bother me anymore. He is a horrible man and I'm glad he disowned me. Severus is worth twenty of him. And I'm lucky he never knew I called you Mudblood that day on the pitch, I'd still be eating soap. That's a forbidden word in his vocabulary. He did his best to counter Lucius's influence on me, but for the longest time I ignored his teaching and acted just like those other arrogant snots. I'm not proud of that. Looking back on it, I could just thrash myself."

"I wanted to strangle you a lot of times," she admitted.

"I deserved strangling."

"True, but you know, even at your worst I still thought you were adorable. I wanted to kick you and kiss you all at once. Crazy, right?"

"Not really. Dad said he wanted to smack me and hug me so many times that year I was lucky I wasn't black and blue. I ended up getting lectured so many times that year and the next one I barely had time to hand in my homework. No joke. But he saved me from myself, Mione. He took the Death Eater's son, the arrogant git, and he turned me into somebody worth something. Last summer at Prince Manor changed me for good. I finally grew up and learned to like the reflection in the mirror. And that's all because of Severus and Harry."

"You done good, Malfoy."

"Not yet." He cupped her face in his hands. "We all have things in our pasts we'd rather not remember, Hermione. I was a wicked brat and you were a misfit. But the important thing isn't what we are, but what we become. Severus told me that. He said we should reflect on the past and then learn from our mistakes. I've tried like hell to follow that advice. You should too."

"I'm still a know-it-all misfit."

He shook his head. "No, you aren't. You might not be the most popular girl in school, but you're not a geeky grungy whatever they called you. You have Harry for a best friend, Katie, and Weasley, even my dad likes you, and he doesn't call many students friends, believe me. Uncle Phil likes you too. And you'll always have me. Now does that sound like an outcast to you? Does it?"

"No, but—"

He put a finger to her lips. "Shh. I'm not finished. Those girls wouldn't know class if it bit them. They'll never have it, no matter how much money they have or what kind of clothes they wear. But you have it. In here, where it counts," he tapped her heart. "Loyalty, courage, integrity, and compassion. That's class. Everything else is just illusion. Take it from one who knows." Then he added roguishly. "_And_ you're a knockout in that dress too."

She blushed. "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

"I'm saying it because it's the truth," he insisted. "You are the most amazing brilliant beautiful girl anywhere, Hermione and I'm lucky you let bygones be bygones and forgave me for being such an ass to you. I still don't know why you did that."

"Because everyone deserves a second chance, Draco."

"Even pain-in-the-arse Slytherins like me?"

"_Especially_ pain-in-the-arse Slytherins like you. Who think a geeky girl is beautiful, in spite of what the mirror says."

"Mirrors lie. They only show the surface," he said. "But my sorcerer's sight doesn't. It sees true always."

"Sorcerer's sight? What's that?"

"It's how the fae describe a wizard's ability to see to the heart of things, to look at what a thing truly is, instead of what it merely appears to be. It's how Dad taught Harry and I to break Glamours. Of course, some Glamours are harder to break than others, since the fae are masters at using them, but we can also use it to see the true nature of a person. Usually we don't, because it's risky doing that, you can learn more than you need to or want to, and it could scar your psyche, if the thing or person you gazed on was evil."

"And you used this sorcerer's sight on me?"

He nodded. "Just now. And I saw everything I just told you before."

"You did?"

"Yes."

"But . . .I didn't feel a spell being cast."

"That's because it's not a spell. It's using your talent to see things in a new way." Draco explained patiently. "It takes practice. A lot of it. But once you learn how to do it, you never forget."

Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Hey, why are you crying?"

"Because . . .you did that for me. You could have hurt yourself."

"How? You're not evil, Mione." He laughed, wiping her tears away with her thumb. "I knew already what I'd see before I looked. But you're so stubborn I figured it'd take more than words to convince you."

"You were right," Brown eyes met gray ones.

"I usually am," he said loftily.

"Don't act so high-and-mighty, Mr. Malfoy," she scolded playfully. "You're better than that."

"If you say so," he smiled teasingly.

" I know so," she returned.

"What else do you know?" he whispered, his lips inches from her own.

"I know that I love you and if you'd don't kiss me I'm going to strangle you for being so annoying, Dragonheart."

"Dragonheart?"

"That's how I think of you."

He laughed. "I like it." Then he dipped his head and kissed her, showing her without words just how much she meant to him. "I love you, Your Majesty."

She broke off the kiss abruptly. "_What _did you just call me?"

He smirked. "Your Majesty. Because Hermione eventually becomes queen of Sparta. You aren't the only one who reads ancient history, Granger. Dad's library at the manor has a ton of books." Before she could say anything else, he resumed kissing her.

This time she allowed herself to be swept away, and let him make her feel like the queen he had named her, igniting within her a passion she had never known she possessed. The intensity frightened and delighted her at the same time. She wanted him the way she had never wanted anything before, he made her feel so loved and cherished. She wanted him to never stop kissing her, never stop holding her.

Draco too wanted it to never end. She brought out a side of him that he had thought lost forever, the compassionate soft side that Lucius had done his best to beat and drive out of him, for a Death Eater was supposed to show compassion to none, and especially not to misfit Mudbloods. But with her, he could throw the Death Eater aside, and just be plain Draco—her Dragonheart. He tightened his hold on her, letting his desire run unchecked briefly.

But then he drew back, recalling Severus' admonition. _Don't rush. You have time. All the time in the world._ He gazed into her eyes and traced her face with a fingertip. "And so the dragon fell in love with the princess."

"That's not how it's supposed to end."

"Who cares? Slytherins make their own endings."

She laughed then. "That's what I love about you, Malfoy. You know when to throw away the rule book. I wish I did."

"I'll teach you. Sometimes rules were meant to be broken."

"Will you teach me how to use sorcerer's sight too?"

He hesitated. "I will . . .if Dad says it's okay. Some of the things he teaches us, I can't show you, because it's fae magic, and only those with the blood of the fae are allowed to learn it. Like _kin-sa-dor_. But I'll ask him tomorrow." He rose to his feet and held out a hand to help her up. "Come on, we'd better start home, I promised Dad we'd be home before midnight."

"It's that late already?" She looked at her watch. "I didn't realize . . ." Her watch read 11:45. "This was some Halloween. Could have been better, but—"

"It was perfect. Down to me hexing those dumb twits."

"Draco! What do you mean, you hexed them? We can't use magic outside of school! The Ministry--!"

"Relax, Mione. I used wandless magic. That can't be traced."

"What did you do to them?" she demanded.

"Why do you care? I gave them what they deserved."

"Tell me!"

He did.

"You shouldn't have. There were innocent people down there too, like Mark, Lucy's brother. He was probably scared out of his wits."

"It was a temporary darkness spell, Hermione. It'll wear off in another half-an-hour."

"Go backand counter it."

"What for? They won't die."

She scowled at him. "Just do it, Draco. For me."

He threw up his hands. "All right. But only because you asked." He started back towards the house, muttering, "I can't believe I'm doing this. It was the perfect revenge. Her and her damn Gryffindor conscience."

Then he gestured sharply and the lights in the basement came back on.

He returned to her. "Happy now? All the dolts have seen the light."

She hugged him. "Thanks, Draco."

"Only for you, Mione. Now don't ever tell anyone I did that. My reputation would be shot to hell."

"I won't," she promised, kissing him again. Then she took his hand and they walked back to the beginning of Primrose Lane, enlarged their brooms and took off into the night sky, heading back to Hogwarts.

**One more chapter to go and then it's over. Hope you're enjoying this little interlude.**

**Next: Draco and Hermione arrive back at school a little bit after curfew and someone is waiting for them. Guess who . . .**


	7. After Midnight

**After Midnight**

"I think the coast is clear," Draco said, peering around the corner of the Entrance Hall. It was fifteen minutes after midnight, and the young Slytherin was hoping that Snape had gone to bed and had forgotten about checking up on him. After all, it was Halloween, and Severus had disappeared soon after his brother. Draco suspected that perhaps the two of them had gone to the professor's quarters to mourn together the deaths of those they had lost.

"Are you sure?" Hermione asked worriedly. "I wouldn't want to run into Filch or Mrs. Norris right now."

"They're not around," Draco whispered and beckoned her onward down the corridor. "I can't believe we missed that last turn and had to backtrack like that."

"It's different navigating in the dark," Hermione pointed out. She flexed her hand, which was getting sore from carrying her pillowcase. "I'm glad you had a good time trick or treating, and remember, eat a little bit of the sweets at a time, they last longer that way and won't make you sick."

They had reached the large staircase, where Hermione could get to Gryffindor Tower and Draco could go down the opposite staircase to the dungeons. "Good night, Mione." He said, and then he drew her in his arms to kiss her one last time before going off to bed.

"How very touching," sneered Igor Karkaroff.

Both students jumped about a foot. The sallow professor raised an eyebrow and his mouth widened in a calculated smirk. "What's this? Two students caught out after curfew in a . . .shall we say . . .compromising position? Tsk. Tsk."

Draco pushed Hermione behind him. Then he looked the Headmaster of Durmstrang in the eye and said haughtily, "So what if we were? You have no authority over us."

Karkaroff stiffened, incensed by the young wizard's tone, which fairly dripped with disrespect. "You will address me as sir, as befits my rank, you impudent puppy! I am Headmaster of Durmstrang and were we there, I would have ordered you beaten for your insolence!"

Draco looked unimpressed. "Better than you have beaten me, _sir_. I didn't respect them either."

"Then maybe they did not beat you hard enough." Karkaroff said menacingly. He moved forward, his hand lifting.

Draco did not flinch. His whole body tensed in anticipation of the blow.

"Leave him alone, you great bully!" Hermione snarled, her wand in her hand before she had time to think twice. "You have no right to hit him, Hogwarts doesn't use corporal punishment anymore."

"Pity. For you too could use a good session with a cane, you hussy," spat Karkaroff. Then he spotted her wand and gasped in outrage. "You _dare_ draw a wand upon me?"

Before Hermione could respond, a familiar silky voice intruded. "Karkaroff, why are you terrorizing students? Halloween was yesterday."

"Snape!" the former Death Eater spun about to confront his nemesis. "What do you mean, sneaking about like that?"

Severus snorted. "Unlike you, Igor, I have authority to go wandering this school after midnight."

"What about _them_?" Karkaroff stabbed a bony finger towards Draco and Hermione. "I remember Dumbledore saying that all students were to be in bed by midnight, is that not so? And yet I find these two out of bed canoodling in the corridor!"

Severus's eyebrow rose. "Canoodling?"

"That's a lie, Professor," Hermione spoke up. "I was just saying goodnight to Draco when Professor Karkaroff came by and started asking us questions. He threatened to hit Draco. He said we should be both beaten."

"Igor, you threatened to hit my son?" Snape asked, and in his face was a terrible anger. He glanced from the tall professor to his son and back and his keen eyes caught the faint mark upon Draco's face. He moved and gently caught his son's chin in his hand. "Who did this, Draco? Him?"

Draco opened his mouth to reply, when Karkaroff blurted, "He's a lying little brat, Snape. I didn't touch him."

Severus released Draco and whirled upon the other wizard. "Guilty conscience, Karkaroff?"

"I have done nothing, Snape! The girl drew a wand on me!"

Severus darted a glance at Hermione, who had quickly tucked her wand away. "I see no wand in her hand, Igor. Lying will not save you. Nobody hits my son, you miserable bastard!"

"Hex me, Snape, and I'll press charges," Karkaroff bluffed.

"I wouldn't waste my magic," sneered the other. Then in a movement so swift it was a blur, the Potions Master struck the cringing wizard on the jaw.

Karkaroff went down like a poleaxed steer, tumbling to the floor in a heap. He groaned softly and lay still.

"Is he . . .dead?" Hermione gasped.

"Of course not, Miss Granger," Snape rolled his eyes. "He's simply unconscious." He snapped his fingers and called, "Dobby!"

The house elf appeared with a pop. "Master Severus, you called? Dobby is here."

"Dobby, please take Master Karkaroff there back to his ship. It seems he indulged in a bit too much wine," drawled the professor.

"Yes, sir. Dobby is glad to assist the father of Master Harry Snape, sir!" The elf bowed so low his nose nearly scraped the floor and then he grabbed Karkaroff by the collar and blinked away with him.

Severus turned to the two wayward students. "Now then, suppose you tell me exactly what you're doing out of bed, you two?" He took in their costumes and their pillowcases in one swift glance. "Not that I can't guess from the way you're dressed and the amount of candy stuffed in those pillowcases."

"Sir, we went trick-or-treating," Draco said.

"It was my idea, sir," Hermione said. "I asked Draco if he wanted to come."

"It was my fault we were late, Dad," said his son. "I took a wrong turn in the dark."

Severus frowned. "How did you manage that? The road to Hogsmeade from the castle is straight." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Draco took a deep breath. "Uh . . .well . . .we didn't go to Hogsmeade, sir."

"Where were you?"

"We went to my house, sir. And then around my neighborhood." Hermione replied, her hands fisting in her robes.

"You went trick-or-treating in a Muggle neighborhood?"

"Yes, and we acted like Muggles too," Draco told him. "I would have told you, Dad, but I couldn't find you."

"That's because I was out rescuing your brother from another one of his damn escapades," Severus growled.

"What did Harry do this time?" asked Draco.

"He'll tell you in the morning. Suffice to say that he got himself grounded for the weekend. And so did you two."

Both teens groaned. "Will you take points too, sir?" Hermione asked warily. In the past, Snape had never hesitated to do so.

"I am very tempted to. But that would mean also deducting points from my own House. Therefore, you shall only serve detention with me. Seven o'clock sharp tomorrow morning."

Draco gaped at him. "_Seven o'clock!_ But Dad, that's like the crack of dawn."

"Your point?"

"I . . .never mind," Draco sighed, stifling his automatic protest. He knew he was getting off easy compared to how Severus had punished him at the manor.

"We're sorry, professor, for making you worry," Hermione added, knowing Snape had probably been waiting for them, just like her own father would have been. "It won't happen again."

"It had better not, Miss Granger. Or else next time I _will _take points. Sixty of them."

"Yes, sir."

He shook his head. "Why is it that my children can never manage to stay out of trouble?"

"It wasn't our fault that creep Karkaroff started with us, Dad," Draco protested. "We were minding our own business and he came looking for trouble."

"No, but it _was_ your fault you were out after curfew, young man," Severus reprimanded sharply. "Had you been in your room, Karkaroff wouldn't have been able to start anything with you. Furthermore, I will be confiscating those sweets for the time being."

"You can't!" Draco cried. "That's our Halloween candy! How cruel can you be?"

"Cruel? Since when is it cruel for a parent to inspect his child's sweets for harmful substances?" the Potions Master queried.

"Harmful substances?" Draco repeated, at a loss.

"He means like needles or pins or drugs, Draco," Hermione explained. "My dad used to do that too."

"Why would the candy have pins in it?"

"Because there are depraved and ill people in this world, son," Severus answered. He levitated the pillowcases until they were floating behind him. "After you have served your detentions, I will return these to you, provided they are clean. However, you ought to limit yourself to only three pieces a day, otherwise you'll risk indigestion and if that happens you can just suffer for it, because I won't be dispensing any Stomach Soothers because you were greedy." Severus warned.

"Understood, sir." Hermione said. "Err . . .Professor Snape, about Professor Karkaroff . . ."

"Do not trouble yourself about him, he'll wake with a sore head and that's all." Severus waved his wand and their costumes vanished, to be replaced by their pajamas. "Off to bed, Miss Granger. I shall see you tomorrow."

"Yes, professor. Happy Halloween, sir." She waved at Draco and then departed up the stairs, trying to ignore her nagging conscience. The professor had jumped to a wrong conclusion, but she could not say that without getting Draco in worse trouble, and after what Karkaroff had nearly done, she couldn't bring herself to feel sorry for the other man. She had the funny feeling that if Snape hadn't come along when he did, Karkaroff would have done something unforgivable to them both. There was something dark and dangerous about the Durmstrang wizard that she did not like.

"Come, Draco." Severus said, taking his son by the arm and leading him down to the dungeons.

Draco followed, wondering if he were in for another lecture in private about going places without asking permission. But Severus surprised him by asking, "So, how did you find your first time trick-or-treating in a Muggle neighborhood?"

"I liked it. It was different than I expected." Draco said honestly. "I think I'd like to do it again next year. If that's okay with you?"

"Yes. Provided you come home at a decent hour. I was just about to go out looking for you when I heard that waste of breath Karkaroff and came to see what he was doing." Severus scowled. "You'll need some salve on that cheek before you go to sleep."

"It doesn't hurt all that much."

"It will later." His father predicted. He spoke the password to the portrait hole and they entered the Slytherin common room. "Stay here." He unlocked the door to the connecting passage that led to his office and went to fetch the Bruise Salve.

He returned a moment later and gently smoothed some on Draco's face.

Draco had to admit that his face felt ten times better after the magical salve had been applied.

Severus waved his hand and the salve and the Halloween treats were floated back to his office, where they would remain until he had time to examine them. Then he locked the door and turned to his son. "Now then, Mr. Malfoy, suppose you tell me how you really got that bruise on your cheek?"

Draco gaped at him. "You knew it wasn't Karkaroff?" he blurted.

"Of course I did. I am a combat master, give me some credit for recognizing the size and shape of a bruise like that didn't come from an adult hand. I know all too well what that looks like." Severus said darkly.

"Then why . . .?"

"Because I detest that skulking coward and all that he stands for, and I needed an excuse to teach him a lesson in manners." Severus replied, smirking.

"Dad! That's so . . .very Slytherin," Draco said admiringly.

"Quite. Now tell me the truth, Dragon."

"First promise you won't punish me," his son argued.

"Draco," he warned. "The truth. Now."

Realizing he wasn't going to be able to bargain with his father this time, Draco told him how he had rescued Lucy and her treats from the Stavros brothers. "Am I in trouble?"

"No, because you were defending yourself. Good night, son."

"Night, Dad. Happy Halloween," Draco said, hugging him.

"Get some sleep." Severus ordered gruffly, tousling Draco's hair. "You need to be up early tomorrow."

Draco made a face. "Why'd you have to remind me?"

"And if you oversleep, I will conjure up a Snape Special to wake you," his father warned.

"Merlin, but you're evil!" his son muttered, heading to his room. "But I'd take you any day over Lucius. Or that git Karkaroff."

Behind him, the evil bat of the dungeons smiled. Then he headed to his own quarters, hoping he could get in a few hours of sleep before he had to wake up and supervise his detentions. It had certainly been an unforgettable Halloween, in more ways than one.

**And so we come come to the end of this little tale . . .but not the end of the story. I should have the next chapter of Return to Prince Manor up soon, but as of right now I'm working on finishing the current chapter of Two Hawks Hunting---which is jam packed full of action. Happy Halloween everyone! Your reviews and comments are greatly appreciated. Virtual sweets of your choice and pumpkin juice to all my reviewers and readers! **


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